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The North Downs Way

Tips for dealing with the British Snow

As I write this post Britain is gripped in “Snow Chaos”. The news is replent with videos of weather reporters standing in snow and people falling over. Granted in some areas of the UK the snowfall is pretty bad, but in others half a centimetre of snow seems enough to close schools and more!

So what can you do to make things easier on yourself and survive when England faces a little snow? This isn’t a list for harden mountain trekkers, more a fun guide of common sense for those on the normal 9 – 5 or panic buying in the local supermarket!

Be Prepared – You can apply the scout motto to almost every situation! Be Prepared for the unexpected. If you’re planning a long car journey be prepared for problems, carry a phone, food, warm clothes and even blankets, a shovel could be useful too in an emergency. If your on a train water (or even a hot thermos) and food could make your journey much more comfortable.

Dress Sensibly – Being fashionable might be important but you’ll be more grateful to be warm! You can still be warm and fashionable – a fun hat and mittens, or Hunter Wellies, but you could be outdoors or stuck on a cold train for longer than you expect so dress for the cold!

A Warm Hat! – A good hat is the start to feeling warm! This Canada Goose Aviator Trapper Hat from MR Porter is a little pricy for us but what a hat! It guarantees warmth with its down filling and earmuffs. But even if you can get this, make sure you have a hat, although scientists have debunked the myth that most heat loss is from your head, if you don’t have a hat you’ll certainly feel the cold!

Get some YakTrax – The snow is bad enough but worse is the ice it turns into when compacted. Just walking to work can be a nightmare, so get some Yak Trax. These clip over your day-to-day shoes and the steel coils give you extra grip on the snow and ice, plus their lightweight so you don’t have to spend the whole day in boots or have to carry two sets of shoes.

Have Some Fun! Our last tip is to have some fun, relive childhood memories with a snowball fight, or take the kids sledging. The snow won’t last so rather than letting it get you down, get out and make the most of it.

Leave a comment and tell us your tip for the snow, is it something you do just to make the day bearable, or fun activities for making the most of the snow!